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📊 Data retrieval via USB cable

Follow these steps to retrieve data from the Flatburn device using the python script.

The Python script to use is here

A sample demo of how to retrieve the data via USB

USB Data Retrieval Demo

Step 1: Connect Flatburn to Your Computer​

Turn on your Flatburn device.

Use a USB cable to connect the device to your computer.

Step 2: Run the USB Data Script​

For Mac/Linux:

Open your terminal and navigate to the folder where the usb_flatburn.py is saved: cd path\to\your\script

run the script with admin permissions

sudo python usb_flatburn.py

You will be prompted to enter your password to continue.

For Windows:

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator:

Press Start, search for “cmd” or “powershell”.

Right-click and choose “Run as administrator”.

Navigate to the folder where usb_flatburn.py is saved:

Run the script using Python:

python usb_flatburn.py

Step 3: Select the USB Port​

The script will show a list of available serial ports:

Available serial ports:

  1. /dev/cu.xx - n/a
  2. /dev/cu.xx - n/a
  3. /dev/cu.xx - n/a
  4. /dev/cu.usbmodem3101 - B-SoM CDC Mode

Enter the number of the port to use:

Identify the Flatburn port (usually says "CDC Mode") and enter the corresponding number (e.g., 4).

Step 4: Choose Files to Download​

The script will show the available files on the SD card, for ex:

Available files:

  1. /12052114.CSV
  2. /12052130.CSV
  3. /12061515.CSV

You’ll be prompted to select which files to download:

Enter file numbers to download (comma-separated, or 'all')

To download all files: type: all

To download specific files, type their numbers (e.g., 3):

You'll the see the prompt display:

Downloading /12061515.CSV

Saved: /Users/user/sd_card_downloads/12061515.CSV (63448 bytes)

Files are saved to the folder: ~/sd_card_downloads/

Step 5: Choose Files to Parse​

Once files are downloaded, you'll see: Downloaded files:

  1. 12052114.CSV
  2. 12052130.CSV
  3. 12061515.CSV

You’ll be prompted to select which files to parse (i.e., clean and format for analysis):

Enter file numbers to parse (comma-separated, or 'all'):

To parse all downloaded files: type: all

To parse specific files, type their numbers (e.g., 3):

You'll the see the prompt display:

Parsed and saved: /Users/user/sd_card_downloads/parsed_files/12061515_parsed.csv

Parsed files will be saved to: ~/sd_card_downloads/parsed_files/

Each file is saved with a _parsed.csv suffix.

Step 6: You're Done!​

You now have clean, ready-to-use CSV files containing environmental and telemetry data. You can now use these files for analysis, upload to cloud storage, or integrate them into your research workflow.